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Top 5 Tonearms Newer or Vintage Under 2500 That Will Beat anything above/below 2.5k?

From all your tonearm experiences trials errors comparisons etc is there a Top 5 tonearm list that are known for their musical superlatives in all music ranges and genres? including finer detail nuances feeling, 3d sound but also deep bass and midbass, basspunch. Airy highs. And importantly long hours listening without fatigue.
The criteria also to be met are easy setups for all angles vta vfa azimuth anti skating etc 
The Tonearm must also the ability to use more than just one or two cartridge compatibility.

Probable Turntables to be Used: Garrard 301/401, Lenco, Linn, Thorens 124, Technics 1100 1200 10 or 15. 

Heres the list i compiled of ToneArms to pick from.
Feel free to mention others.

  • Tw Raven, D Talea, Graham 2.2/phantom, Moerch, Origin Live, Vpi, 
  • AudioMods

  • Clear Audio, Stax, Rega, Technics 500/1000, Sumiko, Alphason, Black Widow, One unipivot, Saec, Clear Audio, Basis Vector, Triplanar

  • Origin Silver, Rega 9, Linn Ittok, Project, Technics 500/1000,
  •  Alphason, Audio Technica, Dynavector 507

    Grace, Mission, Grado, Ortofon, EMT, Thorens Tp,
  • ESL, Sme 3012, Sme 3009, Sme V, IV,

  • Schroeder, Kuzma, Eminent, Ikeda, Breuer, 
    Stax, Kenwood 007 arm, Sonys top Arm, Artemis
vinny55
tzh21y
1,654 posts
 
New arm on Technics 1200G is stellar.
professorsvsu
78 posts
 
I just read and responded to the thread on cartridges and now I'm reading and trying to make sense of this thread. I've come to the conclusion that it's almost like someone strolling down the soda aisle at the supermarket then the liquor aisle trying to come up with different mixtures that will intoxicate in the most pleasant way. Have fun folks. I've already spent too much time on something that is most certainly endless and pointless.
I'm out.
neonknight
405 posts
 
@chakster 

Hi! Actually I have an 801 I could use those extra parts for. Love the tone arm, and would like get them from you. Can you email me at Hoffman1984@gmx.com  Thanks!
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@neonknight Hello, i just shipped them today to another audiogon member from Michigan, sorry.  
lewm
13,322 posts
 
"VTA adjustment on the fly" is perhaps the most over-stated feature of any tonearm.  Who here has ever tried to adjust VTA while playing an LP, which is presumably the meaning of the term? Unless you don't care about the LP or the cantilever, this simply cannot and probably should not be done, without trauma to either component.  The phrase should be more like "VTA adjustment that is not a pain in the ass".  I don't know what's up with the SME V, but I Iong ago adopted the policy of not using any tonearm that relies solely on a set screw in its base (and gravity) to adjust and maintain VTA.  That to me is the main point.  I use Triplanar, Reed, Dynavector tonearms, etc, because they all allow for precise and repeatable changes in VTA, up or down. That's the best you can hope for in my opinion. But I would never think of changing VTA "on the fly".  By the way, this feature was introduced by Herb Papier in his original design of the Triplanar. (The name is meant to suggest that the cartridge position can be adjusted and stabilized in all 3 planes of spatial orientation.) The Triplanar made it difficult for other tonearm manufacturers not to offer a reasonable method for precise adjustment of VTA.
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